Talking to Yanagino Kanata
I was able to talk to Yanagino Kanata, author of Faraway Paladin (Saihate on Paladin, 最果てのパラディン), which had an anime adaptation in October 2021 and another slated for Fall 2023. The story concerns Will, who was reincarnated and raised by three undead beings.
Very much a slow-burn isekai, Faraway Paladin is known among aficionados for its intensive introspection, specifically given that Will’s journey is reflected by his development of a new sense of self in this new world. Many isekai focus on a world where the intruder brings their moral core, but Will is somewhat different. At many moments he is solemn and pensive; at others demonstrates a firm moral compass.
Whereas some authors draw their isekai influences from digital games, Yanagino’s influences stem more deeply from tabletop. Yanagino’s style employs sharp uses of anaphora, or repetitive structures for emphasis. In this sense, it’s somewhat appropriate that anaphora, which has found itself a home in many religious texts, is part of the written structure of a story concerning a protagonist whose journey doubles as a journey of newfound faith.
Changelog:
Originally published 2023-06-06
Introduction
Hello, dear readers. I’m Yanagino, author of The Faraway Paladin.
How did you get started writing fantasy?
It started when a friend of mine, a fellow tabletop RPG player, started submitting his own novels to a newcomer’s award. At first, I looked at him somewhat coldly, but he kept trying. He was really set on showing that he was going to give everything he had to follow his dream. His passion sparked a fire in me as well, so I wanted to show that I wasn’t just a jerk who just laughed at my friends.
Why did you choose a fantasy setting?
For tabletop RPGs, a hobby of mine, fantasy was the genre I was most familiar with. And on novel sites, isekai was popular at the time. So it was around that time I started my first novel; it was a genre I was familiar with, and the readership was big.
What’s the biggest advantage in writing fantasy?
First, I’m used to it. I’ve been a tabletop RPG game master for over a decade. I’ve had a lot of different encounters and composed a lot of different dramatic scenarios. That experience becomes a weapon.
Second, I can sculpt ideals. In today’s world, concepts like “justice” and “order” are much more complicated. Instead, I wanted to write about justice and order as a simpler, more entertaining story with adventure and drama.
What’s the biggest influence on the fantasy world setting of The Faraway Paladin?
The first is tabletop RPG. If you’re from an English-speaking country, you’ve probably played D&D. In addition to D&D, I also play tabletops like Sword World RPG and Arianrhod, both from Japan. The experience I gained from them was huge.
The second is other isekai. Mushoku Tensei, in particular, had a big influence on me. I’m a fan of that work.
With those two elements, I mixed them together and felt like I had something interesting.
It seems The Faraway Paladin starts a little more slowly than other tensei* stories. How did you decide to pace the story?
You’re right when you say ‘slowly.’ I didn’t feel like I needed to rush the story’s development.
The reason is because this story was initially supposed to end in episode 5, where Will departs. That’s exactly a book’s worth of text, so once I got to that point, the practice was over. From there, I intended to go for the newcomer award, like my friend did.
However, I wasn’t able to qualify. Will’s story eventually rose in the rankings, and soon after I received an offer from a publisher. So, skipping over everything, I became a novelist.
Tensei (転生) refers to “reincarnation,” where a character is reincarnated into another place, period, or time. Not all isekai are tensei, and not all tensei are isekai. Tensei is also a popular setting on Let’s Become a Novelist, an amateur writing and publishing website.
In The Faraway Paladin, Will initially sees magic similar to computer games. How did you craft your magic system?
I drew a lot of inspiration from Ursula Kroeber Le Guin’s Tales from Earthsea. I also drew on some of Ferdinand de Saussure’s ideas about language. All things considered, I wanted to craft sorcery that wasn’t very computer game-like. So, to emphasize these differences, I really had Will work on these associations.
Ferdinand de Saussure is known as the father of modern semiotics, famous for a collection of notes known as A Course in General Linguistics. His concept of semiotics concerns the sign as the basic unit of communication, which consists of a signifier (a material marker) and a signified (a thought concept).
Saussure’s understanding of language is a unique perspective I haven’t heard used elsewhere for isekai and magic systems. Are there other theorists and philosophers you’ve drawn upon for your works that your fans might not have noticed?
Magic is based primarily on Saussure’s understanding of language, and I try not to mix in too much from other theorists. It’s mainly to avoid inconsistencies in my work.
For the portrayal of faith in The Faraway Paladin, I drew on a lot of different sources. Notice how I quoted from the Bible, right? I also referred to the Buddhist belief in the Buddha Amitabha.
I also drew upon Roman and Greek gods, Norse gods, Japanese gods, Indian gods; all forms of various polytheistic religions and ideas of philosophers.
However, even though I like to know about these things, I’m very careful when I incorporate them into my work because I never want to make it look like I’m showing off my learning. My works aren’t a place to show off my knowledge – they’re there to entertain my readers.
Tales of Earthsea is a really interesting influence. I’ve heard it’s a fairly popular story in Japan. Is it popular among syosetu authors?
It’s a popular novel for children in Japan; you can find it in any library.
However, I only know a few Light Novel authors who have read it. Maybe it’s because I don’t have a lot of relationships with other writers, so I can’t say for sure how well-known Tales of Earthsea is among novelists.
All I can say is that it’s an interesting work worthy of respect.
The Faraway Paladin seems to break from the usual convention of narou protagonists, where the main character is strong from the beginning. Will has a pretty detailed growth arc, including a detailed look at how to fight, use magic, and acclimate himself to the world. Why do you think many authors choose the narou route, and why did you choose a more traditional narrative?
As I often say, I’m a fan of Mushoku Tensei. I started writing out of respect for it.
Think about Rudeus. Was he strong from the beginning? Does he win every time he fights? That’s what I want to stress: I didn’t start anything new. I’m not treading new ground. I’m just emulating the works I admire.
You present a very immaculate religious world in Faraway Paladin, which I think is rare in isekai. What influenced you to present the spiritual and religious world of The Faraway Paladin as it is?
In tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, I prefer paladins and clerics. They can heal while fighting, and sometimes they’re in charge of negotiations since they’re socially trustworthy. These classes are also capable of really technical feats.
At the same time, I realized few works were focusing on these professions in the world of web novels at the time. And fortuitously, I had a fair amount of knowledge about faithdom.
I partly hoped I’d be able to create something new and exciting. However, I didn’t expect it to become an anime.
You mentioned you were familiar with the fantasy genre. Have you considered other settings like science fiction?
I’ve thought about it.
However, I just prefer fantasy to science fiction. In real life, I have a lot of faith in science, but that’s also why I gravitate toward epics in my fantasy worlds.
Of course, someone’s taste can change. Perhaps one day, if I feel like it, I might even write a science fiction piece!
Why did you choose Let’s Become a Novelist to publish your platform?
There’s no deep reason. It was, and still is, one of the biggest web novel sites in Japan. Plus, Mushoku Tensei, one of my favourites, was being serialized there.
At the time, it seemed like a good place for me to write a practice work before going for a newcomer award. I figured that if I wrote a popular isekai story, and got a few readers who liked it, I’d receive two or three comments.
Let’s Become a Novelist is the English name for Shousetsuka ni Narou (小説家になろう), or syosetu for short.
Did you ever expect your work would become published as a light novel, manga, or anime?
I fantasized a little. I thought that if my novel got a high ranking, I might have a shot at a book. I mean, that’s often a dream of folks who post web novels, right?
But for manga? Anime? I didn’t think I would since it was the first time I wrote a novel. But now, reality has exceeded my dreams and is running ahead of me.
Even now, I’m still worried I’ll hear my alarm clock go off.
With the explosion of isekai adaptations, do you find the website to be very different from when you first started? Or do you find it to be the same?
Well, first off, before a novel becomes an anime, you need about 2-3 years of preparation. Therefore, what the anime trend is reflecting is a novel trend that’s 2-3 years behind.
The latest trends in web novels are already changing; romance stories seem to be thriving. So in another 2 years, we’ll see new scenes reflected in anime.
Where do you think isekai came from?
It depends on how the person defines isekai. Here we define it as a fantasy genre with game-like meta-perspectives.
There are several origins for this. For example, gaming culture has taken root around the world, and many people under 30 are familiar with the concept of fantasy and games. Also, the influence of Japan fan creation culture cannot be ignored. In other words, fans of a certain manga, novel, or game will write fan fiction that breaks down the original plot or incorporates meta-optimistic solutions to the game system. This is what makes them popular.
Some fan fiction writers also write their own original works. There are also those who only write original works, but enjoy reading fan creations. The worlds are adjacent, overlapping, and influencing each other. As a result of this influence, it’s reasonable to expect to see original works with a fan-created style.
As far as I’ve seen, this was how isekai came to be. Before it became an anime trend, it was a major trend in the world of web novels.
Where do you see the isekai genre going?
I’m not smart enough to predict the future, so I have no idea what the future of light novel trends will be.
However, 20 years ago, fantasy was out of fashion in the Japanese light novel scene. Modern and school stories were dominant, and very little fantasy was published.
I love fantasy, and I hope that the isekai genre will continue growing, even if, in the future, it might not stay as strong as it is now.
Is there any change in the genre that excites you?
A lot of changes have already happened in the world of web novels.
I took a break from writing due to a mental illness called adjustment disorder, so a lot surprised me when I returned. Narrative conventions and developments that used to be standard in the past are already outdated, new techniques are being invented, and old ways of composing narratives are being dug up.
A lot of talented novelists are doing it now. Since I have a few years of free time, I am trying my best to get a good eye of the field.
Especially recently, romance stories have been thriving with the increase in female readers. I’m also quite impressed by strength of some of these gender-neutral works that are liked by both men and women. I think that in another 2-3 years, this influence will be felt in the world of anime.
I’ll be watching with great interest to see what kind of masterpieces this new trend will conjure.
Many people debate on where isekai came from. Where do you think modern isekai came from?
In Japanese fan fiction, there have been works since the 90s of a “person who knows the plot of the work has been reborn as a character in that work.” Through this convention, characters who couldn’t be saved in the original work can be saved, and people who couldn’t play an active role can be made to play an active role.
This way of looking at the world from a meta point of view, a point of view of a modern person, is common in current isekai works.
And so these people who create such fan works sometimes will write or read original works. That said, the reverse is also true. I think it’s inevitable that these methods become introduced into original works, specifically through web novels.
Many new anime and manga have female protagonists, but many isekai have male protagonists. Is the isekai audience different? Or have they not yet adapted enough female-focused isekai?
If you look at the Japanese web novel scene, you’ll find that there are already many popular works with female protagonists. The style may differ slightly from the usual so-called “Isekai” style, but they all emerged from the same soil.
In a few more years, many of them will become anime. It just takes a few more years of planning after a story becomes popular for it to become an anime.
You mentioned going for an award but then skipped many of the steps. Is it normal for amateur authors to pursue awards before publication?
You may be confusing newcomer awards with literary awards. There are newcomer awards, sponsored by publishers and mainly entered by amateurs. This differs from the awards that select the best novels from the already published ones.
Instead, newcomer awards are given to a select few amateurs who then go on to become professionals.
What is the most challenging and most rewarding part of novel publishing?
Continually planning and writing your story.
This isn’t a joke; it really is.
The people who lose heart and can’t continue writing stories eventually leave the world of fiction writing. The survivors are the ones who don’t lose heart, and the hardest thing to do is not to lose heart.
It’s said that the “average life expectancy” of a novelist in Japan is 3 years. Some of them disappear after publishing just one book. It’s an immensely rewarding challenge to continue a story to its conclusion.
Are there any trends you’ve noticed today that weren’t around when you started becoming a novelist?
Recently, the popularity of sweet romance stories for women has been increasing in the world of Japanese web novels. In short, it’s a Harlequin romance sort of thing.
Of course, this genre has always had a certain level of popularity, but lately, the rise in numerical data, such as the number of submissions and pageview of works, has been incredible. I guess the efforts of romance novel writers who have been steadily increasing their readership in web novels have been rewarded.
It seems you’re very active in both Japanese and Western fanbases. Do you find Western fans to be different from Japanese ones? How so?
Maybe it’s because we’re communicating only via text, but I can see some characteristics of their language use.
For example, French speakers tend to use witty phraseology. Brazilians tend to be very frank. Arabic people have a unique sense of metaphor and distance.
But I think English speakers are characterized by a lack of a distinctive characteristic. I think it’s because the British, Americans, New Zealanders, and Indians all speak to me in English, so I can’t find a common characteristic between them. The world of English speakers is so vast; it’s like an ocean.
One thing I can say is that they’re all kind. I care about them as much as I care about my Japanese fans, and I’m sincerely grateful to them.
With the end of the first season, are there any specific lessons you learned from the entire process that you wish you had known before it started?
I was well aware of it before it began, but I’m an amateur in animation production. So even if I read an animation script and do my best to give thoughts and feedback, being perfectly informed isn’t possible. This is because I’ve never been involved in anime production. For example, some people pointed out there were a lot of monologues in the anime. I thought so as well.
The scriptwriter respected my novel. I had to modify my writing to make it more suitable for anime, and I didn’t know how to go about it.
In fact, there are many things I wish I’d done better, but I realized the value in the saying that a “lack of experience can only be made up for by experience.” It was something I knew from the beginning and quite sobering.
I, like Will, learned a lot by encountering an unfamiliar world. With that in mind, I’ll do what I have to do better in the second season.
Thank you very much for your time! Is there anything you’d like to say to readers or anything you’d like to mention that I didn’t ask?
Thank you all for watching Season 1 of the anime. If you enjoyed my work, it’s been my pleasure.
I’ll see you again in Season 2; it has been announced to air in Fall 2023, and the official website has been redesigned.
With love from Japan.
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